Trunk.



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No. 7I|,2I4. Patented Oct. I4., 1902.

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(Application and Aug. 1e, 1901.)I (No' Modal.)

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UNTTnD STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM HOSSFELD, OF VVIOHITA, KANSAS.

TRUNK.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 711,214, dated October 14, 1902.

Application tiled August 16, 1901. Serial No. 72,293. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM HossFnLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at /Vichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trun ks, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to certain improvementsin the form of trunk shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 621,086, which were granted to me March 14, 1899, and for which I have made application for reissued Letters Patent on the 8th day of January, 190i, Serial No. 46,720. The object of the invention is to improve certain of the details ot' construction and to perfect the interior arrangements,with a View of adapting the trunk to a greater variety of uses and increasing its convenience.

The invention is illustrated in the aecompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of the trunk closed. Fig. 2 is a detail end view. Figs. 3, 4, and are detail views showing the improved drawer guide or support; and Figs. 6 and 7 are views of the upper drawer, showing` the various lids and compartments.

In the drawings, A indicates the body of the trunk, which is formed with a solid top, bottom, back, and ends, and a front which is open from top to bottom. W'ithin the body of the trunk are a plurality of drawers B, which are supported upon guides C, hereinafter more particularly described, and the fronts of these drawers form when closed the complete front of the trunk. The drawers may be held closed by the hinged strips at the ends, as shown in my patent above referred to; but I prefer the improved form of locking-strips shown herein and which will now be described. These strips are indicated at D and are simply metallic strips or bars right angular in crosssection, having one face or section l designed to abut against the front faces of the drawers, while the other section d abuts against the outer end of the trunk. The` upper ends of the strips are guided in the corner irons or brackets E, which are provided with grooves or channels c, provided for this purpose. I 5o prefer to use slides or runners E', fitting in these grooves, to which the ends of the strips are riveted, and I hold these slides from being drawn completely out of the grooves by projections e', as shown. The strips may thus be shoved outwardly at each end to permit any of the drawers to be opened, and when the drawers are shut may be pushed in to overlap the ends ofthe drawers and hold them securely against being opened. In order to hold the strips in locking position, I provide 6o locks F, engaging corresponding keepers F in one of the drawers, preferably the middle one. In order to prevent the strip being' sprung outward when the trunk is in transit, I provide the clasps or fastening devices of the ordinary or any desired construction, as shown at G. l

An important feature of this invention is the construction whereby the trunk is adapted to be used either as a writing-desk or as a 1o toilet-tableordressing-bureau- 'lhisfeature relates to the upper drawer, which is divided into two principal compartments. One of these, H, is covered by a suitable lid 7L and may be used for holding papers and other writing materials. Its lid or cover is independent of the other covers. The other principal compartment .is covered by a lid K, which shuts down within it, and between these two principal compartments and their 8c covers are subordinate divisions or compartments for holding brushes, powders, and other'articles of toilet. Extending over the cover K and the intermediate toilet-compartments is placed a writing-lid I, arranged to close the intermediate compartments and also to leave aspace between its lower surface and the upper surface of the lid K, which it covers. On said under surface of the lid I is fixed a mirror I', arranged to be properly ex- 9o posed for use when the lid I is raised, and

this mirror when the lids are down is safely heldin the space between the lids. To arrange the apparatus for use as a dressing-bureau, the upper lid I only is raised. This exposes the intermediate toilet-compartments, but leaves the main compartment covered by the lid and its contents protected while the apparatus is used for toilet purposes, and at the same time the mirror is exposed. When the lid loo I is down, its upper surface serves a writingsurfaee, it being properly-fitted for the purpose, While the independent cover 7L may be opened to aord access to the writing materials.

A simple, durable, and cheap form of support and guide for the drawers is also shown in the drawings. This consists of a channelstrip of sheet metal L, having one wide iiange Z and one narrow one l', the wide side being designed to be secured to the inner face oi' the trunk ends. In the grooves or channels formed by these strips are arranged balls Z2, which have a limited amount of rolling movement, their travel being limited by the stops Z3. These stops are formed by striking up the metal at the bottom of the channel.

It will thus be seen that I provide a trunk which when in the room occupied by the traveler may be used at will as a writingdesk or dresser, and this is a very important feature.

The distance from the bottom of the deskdrawer to the bottom of the trunk is sufficient to permit a person to sit with the knees underneath the drawer while writing, thus enabling a person to write as easily as if at a regular desk or table.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In a trunk of lche class described, the combination with the sliding drawers, of transverselysliding strips carried by the trunk-body for holding said drawers in place, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the trunk-body having an open front and the drawers sliding therein and forming when closed the front of the trunk, of guides carried by the corners of the trunk, and sliding strips for preventing the drawers from being opened, said strips having their ends slidably supported in said guides, and means for locking said slides against movement, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the trunk-body and the sliding drawers forming when closed the front of the trunk, of the slides having their ends movably connected withthecorners of the trunk, said slides having each a flange or portion for abutting against the front end 'edges of the drawers and a flange abutting against the front end of the trunk, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the trunk-body and the sliding drawers forming when closed the front of the trunk, of the slides having their ends movably connected with the corners of the trunk, said slides having each a iiange or portion for abutting against the front end edges of the drawers and a iiange abutting against the front edge vof the end of the trunk and fastening devices connecting said lastnamed iianges with the ends of the trunk, substantially as described.

5. The combination'with the trunk-body and the sliding drawer therein, of a lid of rigid material hinged to said drawer, a mirror carried on the under side of said lid, and an independent protecting-lid hinged to the drawer beneath said mirror-carrying lid, sub- .stantially as described.

6. The combination with the trunk-body, of thechannel-strips of sheet metal secured to the ends of the trunk, balls in said channels, integral projections from the bottom of the channels for limiting the movement of the balls, and drawers supported on said balls, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM I-IOSSFELD.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER, C. S. MIDDLETON. 

